Hi ya! Next chapter ready!
Moving on…???
“Words in double quotes” – Talking
‘Words in single quotes’ – Thoughts
(Words in braces) – Telephone conversations
Chapter 7
#At night#
“I love you. I love You so much! I…I can’t live without you.”
“Oh Melody! My sweet, sweet Melody. I love you as well. My love for you is is as vast as the big wide ocean! It’s more deep than the color of blood!”
“Oh Dylan! Dylan, my love! Kiss me, kiss me and make me yours for eternity!”
Swara blinked in confusion as she heard those lines on the television. ‘If I’m not wrong, Ragini is the one who is in the living room. She can’t possibly be the one watching such cliché shows. She would rather watch cartoon than such daily soaps.’
She walked away from the kitchen towards the living room. To her shock, it was indeed Ragini in the living room. “Eh? Ragini? You’re…you’re watching this?”
Ragini simply nodded without looking up at her.
“But you don’t watch such shows.”
“I do now. Now hushhh!”
“But…but this is so unlike you.”
“Yea, whatever! Now please leave me in silence.”
“But…but this is just so…odd.”
Ragini looked up from the TV and glared at her. “I’m watching. So what? Stop looking at me like I’ve grown a second head.” she turned back to look at the TV.
Swara didn’t speak anymore. Instead, she silently stood there wide-eyed, watching her sister to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. ‘Someone pinch me.’
Ragini, on the other hand, was deeply engrossed in the show. Ever since her failure to convince Sanskar of her and Caleb’s relationship, she had been trying to think ways of making it look convincing the next time they meet. That was why she was watching such shows to learn how to act affectionate and romantic. ‘Ugh! The things I’m having to do. All I want to do is throw the TV away and go puke after watching such yucky, sappy romance. But for that sourpuss Sanskar, I’ve got to go though this!’
“Come to me, my love.”
‘Wow! That seemed like a good line. Maybe I can try it on Caleb.’ Ragini sat up straight and tried to imitate the way the girl on the TV was sitting. ‘Right leg crossed over the left and…oh wait! It’s her left, but my right. If I look from her angle, it would be my left leg above, not right. Hands pointing like this and…’
Swara watched in bewilderment and amusement as her elder sister tried to copy the pose without success. She placed a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud.
“Ack! What the heck?! Damn it! Swara help!” Ragini shouted as she ended up twisting herself into a knot. “I can-whooooaa!”
Swara couldn’t stop her laugh when she saw her sister fall off the couch in her attempts. “Ahaha…leave it Ragini. You may be able to drive a bike, you may have the courage to punch bullies. But acting like a proper lady of class isn’t your forte.”
Ragini rubbed her head as she sat where she fell on the floor. “Swara, you’re right. Oh my miserable fate! I can’t learn romance. I’m doomed!” Ragini cried out dramatically, wailing in a fake manner, making Swara laugh harder. “Swara, you’re laughing at my condition!? What kind of sibling are you?!”
“The kind that has enough sense to know that you can’t learn romance from watching a soap opera. The feelings have to come from within.” Swara countered.
“Feelings, eh? That reminds me. I’m hungry. And I’m in no mood to have noddles. Make me something else, will ya, oh dear sister of mine?”
“No I’m not. Make something yourself!”
Ragini looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You want me to accidentally burn down the house in my attempt to cook?”
Swara smacked herself in the head. “Fine fine! I’ll go make you something.”
Shekhar and Shramishtha watched their daughters from afar with affection. Shekhar turned to look at his wife. “Shramishtha, Laksh seems to like Swara. Did you notice?”
Shramishtha nodded. “I know Shekhar. I know.” Shramishtha replied. “If Ragini and Swara both marry into the Maheshwari household, it will be a blessing in a way. They would be together in the same house.”
Shekhar nodded. “But our house will become hollow without their laughter, their chats, their mischief.” he said with moist eyes.
Shramishtha could feel her own tears emerging. She wiped them away and looked at Shekhar with a smile. “But that’s bound to happen Shekhar. We knew they would have to marry off someday. Every girl has to leave her house one day or the other.”
“For me, they’re still those little girls who used to come home running from school and hug me, and narrate to me about their pranks. They’ll always be my little girls for me.” he said with his voice breaking.
Shramishtha smiled at him and entwined her fingers with him. “For me too. Me too Shekhar.”
After sometime…
Ragini brushed her teeth and got ready to sleep. However, her phone rang at that very moment. It was an unknown number. “Hello?”
(Missed me, Love?)
“The F-?!”
(Hey! No cussing, future wifey.)
“How did you get this number Sanskar?!”
(From your father of course. Oops! I meant my future father-in-law.)
Ragini removed the phone from her ear and glared at it, wishing it to get blown into bits just by her look.
(Hello? Hello???)
Ragini let out a frustrated sigh. “What?!”
(Nothing. Just wanted to know what dress you’ll be wearing for tomorrow. I’ll wear a matching color.)
“I’ll wear what I want! There is no need for you to match mine! In fact, it will be best if we end up wearing contrasting colors.” Ragini bit out, hoping to piss him off. ‘Heh. Take that!’
(Hmm…not a bad idea. Contrasting or opposite colors, eh? Good good. After all, opposites do attract.)
Ragini stomped her foot in anger. “Whatever! Bye!”
(Aww…so soon?*sigh* Okay. You need your beauty sleep to look beautiful for me tomorrow I guess. Bye Love. Sweet dreams of me.)
“Horror dreams! Bye!” saying so, Ragini cut the call. “That guy just gets on my nerves! Argh!” she threw herself on the bed in anger.
Her phone beeped, signaling an incoming message. She opened her Whatsapp and saw the message was from the same number… Sanskar’s number. He had sent a picture of him as well.
Ragini glared at it as hard as she could, killing him in different creative ways in her mind.
Another message popped up.
You’re probably staring at my pic, aren’t you? I know I’m handsome. Look as much as you want. After all, I am your person.
Ragini abruptly shut off the phone and screamed into her pillow. “Sanskar Maheshwari! I’ll kill you!!!” she shouted, biting her pillow, imagining it to be his head.
#Next day#
Ragini and Swara waited outside their house for the boys.
“Hi!” exclaimed Caleb as he reached them. “Ready?
“Yeah.” Ragini said in an uninterested tone.
Swara rolled her eyes at her sister’s attitude and looked at her watch. ‘Laksh should have been here by now. Or maybe he’s delaying because he knows I have a few words for him.’ she thought in anger.
Ragini refused to tell her what happened with Sanskar the other day. But whatever happened, Swara knew it didn’t go well judging from the morose way Ragini had been ever since.
Swara considered Laksh responsible for it as it was because of him Sanskar and Ragini met. And she was ready to shout at him for it. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Caleb go and entwine his fingers with Ragini’s. ‘Ehhhhhhhhh? What’s going on here?!’ she silently edged near them, hoping to listen in into their conversation.
Ragini looked at Caleb with a raised eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Caleb smiled at her. “We’re lovers according to you, aren’t we? So I should make it look convincing.”
“But the Maheshwaris aren’t here yet. You don’t need to act from now.” Ragini replied, removing her hand politely with a smile.
‘Ah! So that’s what Ragini is planning. Silly girl.’ Swara smiled to herself in amusement. However, her smile disappeared when she saw Caleb look at her sister with something akin to longing.
She watched as he slowly took a step to stand nearer to Ragini. As Ragini put her hair behind her ear and licked her lips unconsciously, Swara was sure she had noticed a hungry look in his eyes towards her sister.
Don’t get her wrong. Swara was a polite child of the house. The one who was the poster kid of good etiquette. She was a well-behaved and obedient girl. However, now seeing the situation, only three things came to her mind.
‘What the F!?’
Swara’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a car approaching. It stopped before her. Laksh lowered the window and smirked at her. “You look good.”
Swara blushed at his praise. ‘Damn! Swara, don’t get distracted by his irresistible smirk. You’re angry with him remember?!’ Swara sniffed and turned to look the other side, without replying to him. “Ragini, Caleb. Let’s go!”
Ragini nodded and came towards the car with Caleb. She was about to go sit in the back seat when suddenly, the front door burst open and Laksh got out.
Well…more like was pushed out by Sanskar.
“Ragini, come sit in the front seat with me.” Sanskar requested.
“No thanks. I’m good in the back.”
“Come on Ragini. I want you to sit with me.”
“No.” she replied in a stern voice.
Sanskar looked at her in irritation. However, soon he smirked. “I guess you’re afraid you might fall in love with me if you sit beside me, aren’t you?” he taunted.
“Never!” Ragini glared with all the hate she could muster.
“Ragini, he’s doing it on purpose.” Caleb reasoned.
“Then why are you so afraid to sit here Ragini? Or is it that you won’t be able to keep your hands off of me?” Sanskar teased.
Not realizing that Sanskar was purposefully baiting her, she went and sat beside him with a huff.
Caleb sighed in defeat. ‘Ragini and her perks of being a hot-headed person.’ he silently went and sat at the back seat.
Swara looked wide-eyed at Sanskar. She knew it was mistake to taunt Ragini like that.
“Don’t worry Swara. Bhai is aware of Ragini’s nature.” Laksh whispered.
Swara turned to look at him shocked. “W-what?!”
Laksh sighed in misery. “Bhai told me that he knew of Ragini’s true nature and that was why…”
“Why what?” seeing him hesitate, Swara glared at him. “Why what, Lucky?”
“That’s why, Sanky now wants to marry her and her only. He refuses to let her marry another. It’s like he’s become obsessed with her.”
“Ragini won’t accept it. She hates being treated as a possession. She wouldn’t let him curb her freedom.” Swara whispered to him, now understanding why Ragini was so distressed.
Laksh gulped seeing her glare. “I’m sorry okay? I never thought things would turn out this way!” he whispered back.
Swara kept glaring at him. “If you weren’t my boyfriend, and if I didn’t love you…I would have shot you down by now.”
Laksh sweat-dropped. “I love you too.”
“Want me to kill you?”
“No. Killing Lucky. Bad. Loving Lucky. Good.” Laksh spoke in good humor, somewhat finding Swara’s anger cute.
Swara’s eye twitched at his antics.
“Oi! What are you two whispering to each other? Don’t you want to go?” Ragini shouted from the car.
“Coming!” Swara replied, pulling Laksh along with her harshly, making him yelp in pain.
**********************************
To be continued…
Will Caleb be able to confess to Ragini?
Will Ragini accept Caleb if he confesses to her?
Will Sanskar be able to keep Caleb away from Ragini and make her fall in love with him?
Or will Ragini manage to convince him that she is indeed truly deeply in love with Caleb and far too gone to accept his love?
Stay tuned!!
~ ? Mona ?